Automatic flushing apparatus



H. n. MOISE.- AUT OMAUC FLUSHING APPARATUS.

APPLIC-A-I'IOR FILED FEB. 9. 1922.

1,413,484. Patented Aim18,1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1-- H. n. M OISE. AUTOMATIC FLUSHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1922.

1,413,484. Patented Apr. 18, 192 2. I 3 $HEET$SHEET 2- 2 76 9162;

mi i

Q' Z: g 1 U 6' H. n. mse. "AUTOMATIC FLUSHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9. 1922. Y

- Patented Apr. 18, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

r/ j 4 4 J 2 2 y A L J. i W w/ C 1 1\ F J 3A M M i periodically flushes the sewer.

paratus is of unit construct-ion and may .HARMOND. Morse, or sUMTEn, SOUTH eaaomnairi'ssrenon or SIXTY PERCENT 1T0 ,BICHARD VB. BELSER, or SUM ERQS "CAROLINA."

Toall 207mm 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, HARMQND. Morsn, a citizen; of the United States,-i'esicling at Sumter, in the county of Sumter, State of South Carolina,- have invented certainfnew .and useful Improvements in Automatic Flushing, Apparatus,- of which; the. tollowing is v a description,"reference. being had to the accompanying (:lrawingsand totheifigures ofrreterence marked thereon. V

,The invention relates .to new land ,jusetul improvements in an automatic siphoning apparatus,andmore particularly a siphoning; apparatus which is adapted to be used forthe periodical fiushingot sewers, closets,

and the like. p

In any prior application, Serial No.

510,023, filed October 24, 1921, I have shown an automatic siphoning. apparatus which is adapted to be placed in the ordinary tank constructed for the ordinary hand-flushing of, sewers, and when so installed provides an automatic flushing apparatus which be placed in the tank without'requiring any Said sewer through the ordinary manhole closing the .tank. Said apparatus also includes a" blow-off, pipe which is so disposed relative to the water sealing U-pipe of the siphoning apparatus that the air in the siphon will be discharged throughiithe blow-oft pipe almost instantaneously fwhen the water reaches a predetermined level in the tank.

- The present invention is particularly.

adapted to a siphoningapparatus such as shown in my prior applicatiornand has for one of its objects to provide an air pipe which is connectedtothe siphon and-so disposed as to permit air to escapei i'romwthe siphon until a predetermined liquid levelis reached in the tank so that, by increasing the length of the legs of the siphon below the connection of this pipe with the siphon, the body of flushing waterwhich is utilized for flushing the sewer may be varied.

Another-object of the invention is to provide an air pipe of the above type which is so connected with the siphoning and sewer pipes that theflushing water'will seal the air pipe and prevent-rail from entering fully disclosed. V

embodying my improvements; 1

.Fig. 2jis a similanview, but showing fsli htly modified form of the invention; and,

This apf siphon. v s V c The invention willpossiblybe'bestrunden stood-by adescription of the apparatus' as applied tOrlllle flushing, of-sew'ers, it being manifest, of'c ourse that I do notconsider AUTOMATIC FLUSHING-APPARATUS" siphonic action during flushin gll V Specification Zof Letters Patent;

f plication filed February 9,1922. Se ria1.i\l'ol,53 5;3 i1 ii i v 55. ng.-D f' thetan'k,and;, jthns-'insui e 1 that no .air'entersthe slphon'tobr ak th Still another object-jot: the jnvention" is v I to provide a siphoning flushing apparatus of: the above type wherein the -;air pipe'isso .disposed andarranged that,-,.when the liquid in: the tank reachesa predeterminedlevel, V airiniay enter throughthe air pipe to t-her} siphon, thus breaking the siphonic action :at a point soas to insure the proper sealing V of theflushing"apparatus;

. These; and other. objects will In the drawingsiz lil gurerlfis a. view, partly diagrammatically the flushin gapparatus in perspectiveg and ,partly in SQCUOILT showingflsomewhat r v in partbe ,obvious and will inpartbe hereinafter more Y v jig. 3 is an enlarged sectioniof the air =jet portion ofthesupplypipe;v

Figx is a View similar to 'l',-;but

showing anothertype of air bound siphon.

.The. invention in its broadest aspect resides in. asiphoning apparatus which'jis .automaticin its action and which insures thatacpnsta'nt volume of liquldj-will accumulate between; successive siphoning ac tlons. The apparatusalso COllSlStS; in devices whichinsure that once av siphonic ac tion starts, will continue to apredeterminedv point without any liability of being impeded or interrupted airfent'ering the my siphon-is limitedtothis use, but it may; i

be used for the siphoning ofliquids of any characterwherein it is ClBSllQtlptO brmgabou'tf' an. automat c siphoning of a given volume of. liquid.at'predetermined intervals during. 7

which 1 has. been constructed for thehandflushing of sewers.- In such tank construction, the sewer pipeextends into'thetan'lr adiv jacent the bottom thereof, and otherwise the tank is substantially free from pipes or apparatus. My unit siphoning apparatus is attached to the sewer pipe preferably by means of a T-connection so as to provide for the free access to the sewer pipe for cleaning of the same. An inverted U-pipe is connected to the upright of the T-pipe connection, and this inverted U-pipe in turn is connected to the vertical discharge member or leg of the siphon. This vertical discharge member Or leg of the siphon may be located within an intake member or bell, or it may be connected to a separate intake member or leg by means of an inverted U-pipe.

-The intake member extends to a point adjacent the bottom of the tank.

A blow-ofl' pipe connects the vertical discharge leg of the siphon with the inverted U-pipe leading therefrom at the point of or beyond the overflow, and preferably projects a short distance into this inverted U-pipe. This blow-off pipe is so proportioned and arranged as to discharge the air from the siphon almost instantly when a predetermined volume of Water is reached in the tank, and this, of course, starts the siphonic action. The blow-0H pipe is entirely outside of the siphon pipes and is readily accessible for repairs or cleaning should the same become necessary.

The improved flushing apparatus also includes an air pipe which is connected to the intake member between the lower end thereof and the point where the intake member communicates with the discharge leg of the siphon. Said pipe extends upwardly to a point above the maximum. level of the Water in the flushing tank, and thence downwardly and is connected to the sewer pipe, preferably to the inverted U-pipe at the upper side thereot. This air pipe accomplishes two functions. It furnishes air to the siphon so as to insure a constant volume of air being trapped in the siphon after each flushing operation. In order to accomplish this, air passes through the pipe from the sewer into the intake member at the end of the flushing operation. Air escapes through the pipe during the initial filling of the tank until a predetermined level is reached, when the water covers the end of the pipe and thus traps air in the siphon. This insures a requisite volume of air in the siphon. The air pipe being connected to the inverted U of the sewer pipe will be sealed, all the time the flushing water is passing through the inverted U-pipe, and this insures that no air can enter the pipe during full flushing to impede or bred: the siphonic action. Preferably the intake member of the'siphon extends downwardly to a point relative to the sewer pipe so that the flushing water gradually decreases toward the end of the flushing operation, and as soon as the inverted U-pipe dicharge leg and sewer pipe are relieved from full volume of passing water, air enters through this air pipe to break the siphon.

Referring more in detail to Figs. the drawings, my improvedsiphoning apparatus is shown as placed in a tank 1 which, as noted above. may be the ordinary tank used for hand-flushing or, of course, itmay be built for the purpose. The sewer pipe extends into the tank near the bottom thereof, and a T-pipe 2 is attached thereto. Said T-pipe has an upright portion which is connected to the inverted U-pipe 3 in the usual way. The extreme inner end of the T-pipe is closed by a suitable closure P. This cap is so arn nged that direct access may be had.

to the sewer pipe for cleaning when desired. as is usual in connection with hand-flushing tanks, so that the connection of my unit flushing apparatus to the sewer does not in any way prevent the ready access to the sewer-pipe. The inverted U-pipe 3 is in turn connected to a U-pipe 4, and this U-pipe 4 is connected to the vertical discharge leg 5 of the siphon. Associated with this vertical 5 is an intake leg 6. Said intake leg 6 is connected to the dicharge leg 5 by an inverted U-pipe 7.

While I have described these pipes as made in separate sections, it will be understood, of course, that any of the pipes may be formed integral and cast together. It will also be understood that instead of having the intake leg at one side of the discharge leg, it may surround the same or, that is, be of the bell-shaped type, and when I refer in the description and claims to an intake leg, it is to be understood as meaning either a bell-shaped leg surrounding the discharge leg or a leg at one side thereof as illustrated in the drawings. The detail structure is 1 to 3 of lOO purely for the purpose of illust ating the I principle of the invention and not in any way considered to impose limitations upon the spirit 0] the invention which is set forth in the appended claims.

A. blow-off pipe 8 is connected at 9 to the discharge leg and is connected at 10 to the inverted U-pipe 3. Said connection 10 extends abovethe overflow portion of the U- shaped pipe 3. This blow-oft" pipe is located so that its lowest part is above the inside of the upper central portion of the Ushaped pipe 4, and its purpose is to discharge the air from the siphon when the water reaches a predetermined level in the flushing tank before the air can pass out thrrmgh the pipe 4. The blow-off pipe may be curved or of any other desired shape. Said blow-off pipe is shown, described and claimed in detail in my co-pen ding application above referred to. Attached to the intake leg 6 is a pipe 11. Said pipe 11 communicates at 12 with said to a point above the maximum level of the main valve. l'i'is for filling the tank quickly water in the flushing tank which is indicated by the line i Said pipe then extends downwardly as at 13, and Communicates at H Withthe' upper portion of the, inverted U-shapedpipe 3. The l0Wer'end-13 of the intake leg 6' is preferably disposed'iat the point slightly below the upper or top level of the main sewer pipe. I

The tank as shown in Fig.1, is preferably formed with a supply'pipel6. Said pipe 16 is provided with a main disc-harge'faucet 17' and an auxiliarydischarge faucet 18. The auxiliary discharge'faucet is for the purpose of supplying water gradually to the tank so that said tank-Will be filled once in long periods, uch as twelve hours,'tWenty-four hours, forty-eight hours or the like. The

so that the tank may be" readily tested to see if the flushing apparatus i Working proptank in any Way. J p,

In 'Fig. 4 of the drawing I have'shovvn my improvements embodied, in a flushing apparatus having a bell-type of a-ir bound siphon. Th main sewerfpipe 1 extends into the tank 1 and hasa T -pipe 2, one openerly, or the ,liquid maybe supplied to the ing of which is closed .bythe closure 43.. At-

tached to the other opening of the T-pipe is the inverted U-pipe 3.to which is connected the U-pipe The pipe 4 inturn is con-' nectedwith an upstanding pipefi which I have heretofore referred to as the discharge" leg-of the siphon. Surrounding'the pipe 5 is a bell 2-1 which is supported ontl1epipe/5 by a fibider 25. The blow-01f; pipe 8 is con-' nected to the discharge leg at 9 and to the U-pipe 3 at 10. The air pipe 11. is similar to l that described above.

It is connected-at 12 to thebell, extends above the maximumlevel )C-Xof Water in; the tank. andhas a section.

V theintake leg (3" of the siphon forcingairf 1 accumulates in the tank, itwill trap air' in" 13 connected at 14 to t.l1e; .U-pipe 3.

The operation. of mydevice is, as follows: Assuming. that the piped; and the blow-off pipe 8 are provided. with water seals after flushing operation and the tank is filling with Water. The Water gradually rises in out through the pipe 11' ,into the sewer.

WV hen the water covers the point 12 vheref the pipe 11 is attached to the 1ntake leg, then said pipe is sealed so thatno furthenair can escape therethrough. As the Water further the siphon andthe increased volume of Water will put said air under slightcompression; also force the air over into the discharge 5 which in turn will forcethe Water down-'1 ,Wardly in thesealing pipe-s 4- and the blow-.

off pipe 8. hen the Water level inthejtank outside the siphon reaches a predetermined point, the pressure issu'tlicient to' forceall the Water out of the blow-off pipe 8. As soon as the water is forced out olfthe blowoff pipe '8, then the air in the siphon ivill almost'instantly escapethrojugh said bl w-eff i i I pipe and as the air escapes from-the slphon,

the water of course Will rise inthe intake leg,- pass over into the discharge leg, and-start the siphoning action. Wi'llre'adily be" seen that the height of the siphonmay be readily varied and thereby the point of connection of the pipe 11 raised:or' loweredrelative to the h'eight oft-he tank, and thus the volume;

otfwat'er utilized for flushing varied. The trapping or the air for bringing about the siphonic action does not occur until the was :ter covers the polnt 12' on the intake leg,

Where the pipe 11 it attached. 7 V 1 iilsso'on as the'flushing water starts to pass out'through the siphon, the inverted U-pipe will be filled with water and thus the end I of the pipe section'13 will-be sealed Whichfif" prevents any air fronr workingback, through thepipe ,11 into the siphon toslow up orli break the siphonic action; r

the mainkseiverpipe, the Water passing In .the form' of the invention Where-the 'g Jta'ke 'leg 16 extends downwardly into the f' tank to a point below the upper surface of;

9O 3 through the's'iphon will gradually stop and 1 r as soon as the sewer-and the inverted U-pipe the tankwhile'thewater in thefdischar 'ele b :5

5 Will pass out through into the sewer, filling and sealing the U-p-ipef3 and the blowoff pipe S/ v p I In the form' of the invention shown-in Fig. 2, I have provided an air injection pipe tion referred to above. In thisform of the invention, ater is supplied:tothe'tank by means of a'pipe19 vvhi'ch enters theisiphon directly above the intake leg- 6. The. pipeper portion '22otthefpipe 11-. *The pipell i V t'ion' Whichvis -givenj above, "when taken in "is now attached at the point 23*tojthe in; take v-leg6. The operation of this device it 'i islthought'willbe'obvious froin'the descripconnection withmyprior; application Wa-J 5 ter with air entrained therein passes into the slphon'jp pes and -the;.a1r will escapethrough the; pipe 11.: [This infsuresthat the.

of ai-rSTT-hefWater rises in theintakeleg until the point 23 is reachedyand-when said point. is. reached, the; Water level inpsaid insiphon Will be furnished with afull supply take leg ceases to rise. carried in by the ente ing Water Wil-lbe injpart compressed in T the siphon holding? down the level of the 'Water to the point 28 so-that the excessair escapes'lthrough' -the pipe 11; 3 In'fo'th l 3o 105 V similar to that shoWnIin my prior'applica. i

11'0 19:is provided with anair jetQO Which'is c'onnected by means of a-pipefll to the;lup-.

words, there is suthcient surplus air in order to maintain "for a time the level or the water at the poiin 23. hen the enter in the tank reaches the flushing level XX, then the the air in the siphon becomes to force all of the water out of use blow-oft pipe, then the air in the siphon r permitted to escape almost instantly, and ms starts the iphonic action. As above noted, as soon the tank, the end of the pipe 13 is sealed, and this not only prevents air from passing back through the pipe 11 into the siphon, to break the siphonic action during flushing, but it also stops further entrained air from entering with the water as the air jet receives its airsolely from the pipe 13. This pro vides a means so that all possible chances of air getting into the siphon to cause the breaking or impeding of the siphonic action is avoided.

It is obvious that the arrangement or the pipes may be greatly varied without departing from the spirit ofthe invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what i claim. as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is-

1. In an air-bound siphon havingintalre and discharge members, nieans tor maintaining a water or other liquid seal in said discharge member a't'ter flushing, and an air pipe connected to the intake member of the siphon at a point below toe overflow level between the intake and discharge members and positioned to trap the quantity of air required extending upwardly beyond the flushing level of the siphon, and then downwardly into the discharge pipe beyond the liquid seal thereof, said air pipe operating to allow air to escape from the intake member of the siphon as the tank fills and the Flushing liquid rises thereinuntil the liquid rises above the level. where the said pipe enters said intake member and allowing, atter the flush, the air from the discharge pipe beyond the to enter and recharge the siphon.

In an air-bound siphon having intake and discharge members, means for maintaining a water or other liquid seal in said discharge member after flushing, and an air pipe connected to the intake member of the siphon at a point below the overflow level between the intake and discharge memhers and positioned to trap the quantity of air required to operate the siphoinsaid air )ipe Xtending npwardl be ond the flushing a A .l o 1 level of the siphon, and then downwardly into the discharge pipe beyond the liquid seal thereof, said a1rp1pe operating to allow an to escape from the intake member of the siphon as the tank lls and the flushing liquid rises therein until the liquid rises above the level the siphon begins to flush to operate the siphon, said air pipe the level of the top of the water seal retained therein so as to insure said blow-off pipe being filled with water for sealing the same.

3. An air-bound siphon including in combination an inverted U-pipe having a connection with the main discharge pipe of the sewer, a sealing U-pipe connectedwith the inverted U-pipe, said siphon having a substantially vertical discharge member con nected with the U-shaped sealing pipe, and a substantially vertical intake member connected with said vertical discharge member, an air pipe connected-to the intake member at a point below the overflow level between said intake member and said discharge member and positioned to trap the quantity of air required to operate the siphon,

said air pipe extending upwardly beyond the flushing level of the siphon and then downwardly into the discharge pipe beyond the sealing U-pipe, said air pipe operating to allow air to escape from the intake member of the siphon as the tank fills and the flushing liquid rises therein until the liquid rises above the level where said air pipe enters said intake member and allowing, after the flush, the air from the discharge pipe beyond the seal to enter and recharge the siphon, said main sewer pipe including a l'pipe having a substantially vertical portion with which the U-pipe is connected, and said siphon pipes being so disposed as to give ready access to the removably plugged end of the T-pipe connection with the main sewer pipe, and a removable plug for closing said open end or" the T-connection. 7

i a. In ai air-bound siphon having intake and discharge members, means for maintaining a water or other liquid seal in said discharge member after flushing, and an air pipe connected to the intake member of the siphon at a point below the overflow level between the intake and discharge members and positioned to trap the quantity of air required to operate the siphon, said air pipe extendino upwardly beyond the flushing level of bhe siphon, and then downwardly above the level Where the said pipe enters said intake member and allowing, after the flush, the air from the discharge pipe beyond the seal to enter andrecha'rge the siphon, and a water supply pipe having connection with the intake side of the siphon for discharging water into the intake member thereor", said water supply pipe having an air jet connection with the discharge pipe beyond the liquid seal thereof so that air may be entrained and carried into the siphon during the filling of the tank and whereby said air intake jet is sealed during the flushing operation by the water passing through the discharge pipe.

5. In an air-bound siphon having an intake and discharge member, means for main taining a water or other liquid seal in said discharge member, an air pipe connected with the intake member of the siphon at a point below the over-flow level, between the intake and discharge pipe, positioned to trap the quantity of air'required to operate the siphon, extending upward beyond the flushing level of the siphon, and then downwardly into the discharge pipes beyond the liquid seal thereof; said pipe having the dual-function of allowing the air to escape from the intake member of the siphon as the flushing liquid rises therein until-the liquid rises above the level where said air pipe enters said intake member, and thus permitting the length of the siphon below this point, and so the quantity of liquid dis-,

charged to be varied at will; and of allowing after the flush, the air from the discharge pipe beyond the seal to enter and recharge the siphon at a point insuring the gradual breaking of siphonic action and the complete refilling of the liquid seals of the siphon.

6. A flushing apparatus for sewers comprising an inverted U-pipe having a connection with the main discharge pipe of the sewer, a sealing U-pipe'connected with said inverted U-pipe, said siphon having a ver tical discharge leg connecting with the U.- shaped sealing pipe, a vertical intake leg connecting with said vertical discharge leg,

an air pipe connected to'said intake leg at a point below the overflow point between the intake leg and the discharge leg of the siphon, said air pipe extending upwardly to a point above the maximumlevel of water 7 said air intake jet being sealed during the flushing operation by the water passing through the U-pipe. e

7. A flushing apparatus for sewers comprising an inverted U-pi'pe having a connec-' tion with the main discharge pipe of the sewer, a sealing U-pipe connectediwith said inverted U-pipe, said siphon having a ver- 'the siphon during the filling of the tank,

tical discharge leg connectingwith the U= shaped sealing pipe, a vertical intake leg connecting with said verticaldischarge leg, an air pipe connected to said intake leg at a point below the overflow-point between the intake leg and the discharge leg of the siphon, said airpipe extending upwardly'to' a point abovethe maximum level of water inthe tank, and thence downwardly and connected to the upper portion of the inverted J U-shaped discharge pipe, a sealing blow-oil the overflow level of the water seal in the discharge leg" of the siphon, said blow-off pipe being so disposed that the water] seal therein is slightly shallower than the water seal in the large U-shaped pipe or siphon, a water suppipe connected to said inverted U-shaped pipe and extending slightly above point thereof and to the discharge leg atthe ply pipe having connection with the intake 7 side of the siphon for discharging water into the intake leg of the siphon, said water supply pipe having an air jet connection with the pipe connected'with the U-pipe so that air may be entrained and 'carriedinto the Y siphon during the filling of the tank, said air intake jet being sealed during the flushing operation by the water passing through the U-pipe,

In testimony whereofll aflix my signature.

, HARMIOIN- D; MOISE; i 

